This versatile sauce works great in a couple of uses, my favorite is to use it as an Enchilada Sauce (hence the title) but it also works well when unstrained as a standalone Salsa, for a topping of Tacos/Nachos, seasoning other sauces, mixed with Sour Cream for topping or dip, and anything else you can think of.
Ingredients:
1/2 medium Pineapple, cored
2 cans Diced Tomato (about 6-7 Fresh Roma Tomatoes chopped)
1/4 Dried Bird Chilis
2 Guajillo Chili, deseeded and rehydrated (see below in Tips for how-to)
4 Ancho Chili, deseeded and rehydrated (see below in Tips for how-to)
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
4-6 Garlic Cloves, whole
1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano (you can use Italian but the sauce will be sweeter)
1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Sea Salt (more for if you need it to season to taste)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Instructions:
Heat 1/2 Oil on the stove over medium heat
1) Add Pineapple and cook til soft, set aside
2) Add other 1/2 of Oil to pan and bring to heat add: Onion and Garlic then cook for about 3 minutes.
3) Add Oregano and Cumin cooking for about 30 seconds, add Tomato and bring to a simmer
4) Add 1 cup Water, Salt, Bird Chili, Guanjillo, and Ancho Chilis. Simmer for about 8-10 minutes
5) Either: place all ingredients plus pineapple in a blender and puree til smooth OR Using a hand blender add the pineapple to the pan and blend til smooth
6) Pour through either: a Chinoise (also commonly known as a Chine Cap) gently tap or press OR you can line a regular pasta strainer with cheesecloth (I’ve been known to use 2 layers of paper towels in a pinch) and gently tap or press to remove the fibers leaving a smooth sauce. You want to get as much out as possible, if some fibers are pushed through it isn’t that big of a deal.
7) Reduce this sauce over a medium heat (a low-medium simmer) until thickened to about Heavy Cream thickness.
Serving/Tips:
Deseed and Rehydrate Chilis – Cut off top near the stem and knock out seeds over a bowl to deseed. Boil water and pour over chilis in a large bowl, let sit for about 20-30 minutes. You can reserve this water for later to add to the sauce to loosen instead of plain water if you want.
Don’t let the sauce boil, I’ve found it comes out much more bitter if brought to a full boil more so if the boiling happens during the reducing step.
If you want to before adding the Tomatoes you can add about 1/4 Tequila and reduce which can add a little extra flavor to the sauce.
Reduce your sauce too much for what you want to do? Just splash in water about a tablespoon at a time and whisk until it’s back where you would like it.